Latest News

FRIENDS LIFE t20: Best XI voting is underway...!

18-Jun-2013

Last week marked the 10th anniversary of the first ever Twenty20 matches, and to celebrate the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are asking fans to vote for the Best XI of players to have played in the domestic competition, now known as the Friends Life t20.

The ECB revolutionised world cricket with the introduction of the Twenty20 Cup on 13 June 2003. The inaugural tie saw Hampshire host the Sharks at the Ageas Bowl, with four further matches around the country on the opening day. To mark this milestone, the ECB has also launched a new video of some of its most explosive, exciting and memorable highlights to get the conversation started.

Headline grabbing moments such as Graham Napier’s stunning 152 not out in 2008, Scott Styris’ world-record 38 runs from a single over on the way to a 37-ball century, and Middlesex’s last-ball win in the 2008 final have provided some of cricket’s most unexpected and unforgettable memories of the last 10 years.

Fans are now being given the chance to have their say on those standout performers, the players that have left the biggest mark on the county competition since its inception. Voting began yesterday, with each of the 18 counties asking fans to vote via Twitter for the best batsman, bowler and all-rounder to have represented their team in Twenty20 cricket. Those players will then be put through to nationwide fan polls on the ECB’s Facebook page, before the overall best XI line-up is announced on Friday 28 June ahead of the competition’s first full weekend of fixtures.

You can vote for your favourite Sussex players from the last ten years of Twenty20 cricket via the Sussex CCC Twitter page by clicking HERE, or on the Facebook page HERE. To see who is in the nominations for Sussex in each category, watch the video above. There will also be a vote for wicket-keepers which will cover all 18 counties, so keep an eye out for that next week.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier commented: “Since the ECB launched Twenty20 cricket in 2003, we have seen incredible moments and individual performances that have paved the way for the format’s widespread popularity around the world today. We hope that by giving fans a chance to vote for the best XI, they will be reminded of the great-value entertainment that will be on offer in the Friends Life t20 this summer.”